What People Are Saying
“For Christians, the Old Testament sets the cosmic and temporal contexts for the New Testament. It is “Part One” of a unique two-part epic. Jesus, Peter and Paul, Matthew and John, and numerous others in the New Testament, frequently quote from the Old Testament. Without the Old, the New would be adrift, cut off from its life-giving roots. And as we all know, any living organism cut off from its roots will soon wither and die. The Old Testament is nothing less than a formal introduction to God himself. And so it is for anyone seeking a relationship with him.”
Justifying the Old Testament.
Many people within Christianity, devalue the Old Testament. The Old Testament is looked upon as something of great historical value, however, there is nothing there that requires our immediate attention, as it is the application of the New Testament which is the essential component for salvation according to them. It is not sufficient for us as believers to just believe in the Old Testament, it is essential that we are able to justify and convey the necessity of the Old Testament.
What is written in the Old Testament, provided us with the historical foundation of the Gospel message expounded in the New Testament (Romans 15:4). You cannot fully understand the Gospel or the Will of the Father without it.
Where did it say in the Bible that the Old Testament was only valid until the arrival of Christ? One of the first things that we must clear up is the distinct difference between “The Old Covenant” vs “The Old Testament”
The “Old Covenant” aka “Old Agreement” were laws that were temporal. When they were given, they were designed to phase out at a particular time. This time came during the ministry of Christ, not at his arrival (Jeremiah 31:31-33; Daniel 9:25-27; Galatians 3:24-25).
The “Old Testament”, on the other hand was a time period where we received the history, covenants and inspirational writings from God. This was the foundation of the Gospel. It is impossible to understand the Gospel without the foundation being present. Within the Old Testament, we find many everlasting commandments (Laws).
The Bible of the New Testament Era.
We must remember, that when Christ and his Apostles walked the earth, there was no such thing as the “New Testament”. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul recorded their experiences while they were yet living, most of which walked with Christ and their writings were published years after the death of Christ. Some say for example that the Book of Matthew was written somewhere between 50-100AD.
Christ quoted and taught from the Old Testament:
Does It Make Sense?
People have been contaminated so much by religion that pure common sense evades them when it comes to understanding the Bible. We are not suggesting that they should be aware of the mysteries concerning the Old Testament, however, there are some things that should just make sense to us or cause us to call into question the common status quo. For example, nobody within the Christian religion would say that it is acceptable to murder a person (Exodus 20:13), yet they contend that we are no longer obligated to observe the things written in the Old Testament. In Matthew 5:21, Christ said “Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” Christ’s sayings were built off of the foundation of the Old Testament. Why do people pay tithes? A tenth of their earnings? This is mentioned first in the book of Genesis by Abraham (Genesis 14:20) and later by Jacob (Gen.28:22). In Deut. 14:22, it talks about “tithing ten percent.” Malachi 3:8 reads Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. Pastors will not preach against Tithes and Offerings but they will preach against the Sabbath Day, Dietary Law and the Feast days.
